Name the two basic types of fire extinguishing systems.

• A. Wet and dry systems
• B. Manual and automatic systems
• C. The conventional system and the high-rate discharge system
• D. Water-based and foam-based systems

Answer: (C)

Fire-extinguishing systems in aircraft are classified by how they discharge the agent into the protected space. The two basic types are conventional discharge systems, which release the agent at a controlled, slower rate to flood the area, and high-rate discharge systems, which flood the space rapidly with a large quantity of agent to suppress a fire quickly and reduce the chance of reflash. This distinction centers on the discharge performance and how quickly the space is filled, rather than the specific extinguishing agent or whether the system is manual or automatic. The other options mix terms about agent type or control method, but don’t define the fundamental difference in how the system delivers the agent.